Musician and Entrepreneur Kelly Kidd is Revolutionizing the Immersive Family Entertainment Space
Six years ago, when my daughter Ayla turned 10 years-old, we held a birthday party for her at Kidd's Jewelry Heist in South Pasadena. Back then, the immersive jewelry-making experience was housed in the rear of beloved children's toy store Dinosaur Farm on Mission Street. It was a dimly-lit space, moody and romantic, and exploding with a bounty of glimmering gems, bright-colored beads and golden baubles. My daughter and her friends spend two hours stringing together bracelets and necklaces adorned with unicorn and heart charms, decorating each keepsake with unfettered girlish glee. (Even the boys had fun; my son made himself a silver-chain necklace with a dangling skull charm). At the end of the birthday party, after a round of singing 'Happy Birthday' and eating slices of pink, buttercream-frosted cake, Aylas's friends presented to her a necklace they had custom-made for her, each charm representing one of Ayla's qualities they cherished: friendship, loyalty, her sense of humor. It was one of the most beautiful birthday parties I can ever remember attending. Not just because it was my kid–but because it was at Kidd's Jewelry Heist. Kidd's Jewelry Heist is the brainchild of Texas-born musician-cum-entrepreneur, Kelly Kidd. Kidd–a vocalist who, years ago, inked a deal with record producer Glen Ballard and will be touring with Katy Perry this summer as the face of her VIP concert experience–got his start in the business sector at 19 years old working as a district trainer at Discovery Zone, a popular but since-shuttered American chain of 'fun center." Think: ball pits, climbing walls, trampolines. Kidd's experience at Discovery Zone informed what he calls, 'the bigger picture.' 'No one had revolutionized the family entertainment business outside of theme parks in over 40 years,' he says. 'We've got Chuck E. Cheese, Build-A-Bear, American Girl, David & Buster's. Why can't we have immersive experiences for kids and adults outside of theme parks?' In 2012, Kidd's Jewelry Heist was born.
In 2023, Kidd expanded, relocating to a new, bigger and brighter space on Huntington Drive in San Marino. Stepping inside the updated digs is like wandering into a real-life simulation of the pirate ship scene in "The Goonies". Comprising several rooms, each one centered on a different theme, Kidd's Jewelry Heist is an eclectic fusion of antique relics and fantastical artifacts, with lush, velvet-upholstered sofas, gold-trimmed ottomans, ornate lamps and gilded lighting fixtures recalling Louis XIV and the Palace of Versaille. A long wooden dining table is lined with glass trays and porcelain tea cups filled with beads and trinkets of every imaginable color. The day I visit, several birthday parties are booked (Kidd's Jewelry Heist is available via reservation only). Soon, the place will be crawling with kids–and parents–stacking beads for bracelets and dashing from room to room on a themed scavenger hunt searching for treasure and trinkets hidden amongst the furniture and decor. There's a stage, a grand piano, a library. It is a fairytale sprung to life.
'I tried to imagine what it would be like to have a little hideout in San Marino,' says Kidd of the space's design elements. 'We have a mural of Hercules on the ceiling. We've hand-selected all the beads. They're in tea cups and saucers on the grand dining room table. We have mummies in our library. We have a Medusa head. I got most of this stuff from San Marino and Pasadena estate sales. I definitely benefited from the idea that everyone is doing mid-century and modern right now in the community. They just wanted to get rid of stuff. I got these cool trunks and tables. I have a $20,000 hand-carved oak buffet to put your cake on that I paid $500 for. I was able to find these monstrously cool pieces. The feel is very Night at the Museum.' Kidd's current mission is to expand his business even further. In particular, he is eyeing potential locations on the westside of Los Angeles and in the San Fernando Valley. Kidd's Jewelry Heist is also available to come to you–they've created custom parties and events poolside at hotels and at people's private homes. 'We have such a unique space and concept,' says Kidd. 'Moms, kids, grandparents–they all go absolutely crazy for it.' kiddsjewelryheist.com
This story was originally reported by L.A. Mag on May 29, 2025, where it first appeared.
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- New York Times
Canceling ‘The Late Show' Is Bad News for Late-Night TV, not for Stephen Colbert
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Only 34% of Americans Feel On Track For Retirement. Here Are 3 Stocks to Buy Now and Hold For Decades.
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Here Are 3 Stocks to Buy Now and Hold For Decades. was originally published by The Motley Fool Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
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Less selection, higher prices: How tariffs are shaping the holiday shopping season
NEW YORK -- With summer in full swing in the United States, retail executives are sweating a different season. It's less than 22 weeks before Christmas, a time when businesses that make and sell consumer goods usually nail down their holiday orders and prices. But President Donald Trump's vacillating trade policies have complicated those end-of-year plans. Balsam Hill, which sells artificial trees and other decorations online, expects to publish fewer and thinner holiday catalogs because the featured products keep changing with the tariff rates the president sets, postpones and revises. 'The uncertainty has led us to spend all our time trying to rejigger what we're ordering, where we're bringing it in, when it's going to get here,' Mac Harman, CEO of Balsam Hill parent company Balsam Brands, said. 'We don't know which items we're going to have to put in the catalog or not." Months of confusion over which foreign countries' goods may become more expensive to import has left a question mark over the holiday shopping season. U.S. retailers often begin planning for the winter holidays in January and typically finalize the bulk of their orders by the end of June. The seesawing tariffs already have factored into their calculations. The consequences for consumers? Stores may not have the specific gift items customers want come November and December. Some retail suppliers and buyers scaled back their holiday lines rather than risking a hefty tax bill or expensive imports going unsold. Businesses still are setting prices but say shoppers can expect many things to cost more, though by how much depends partly on whether Trump's latest round of 'reciprocal' tariffs kicks in next month. The lack of clarity has been especially disruptive for the U.S. toy industry, which sources nearly 80% of its products from China. American toy makers usually ramp up production in April, a process delayed until late May this year after the president put a 145% tariff on Chinese goods, according to Greg Ahearn, president and CEO of the Toy Association, an industry trade group. The U.S. tariff rate may have dropped significantly from its spring high — a truce in the U.S.-China trade war is set to expire on Aug. 12 — but continues to shape the forthcoming holiday period. Manufacturing activity is way down from a year ago for small- and medium-sized U.S. toy companies, Ahearn said. The late start to factory work in China means holiday toys are only now arriving at U.S. warehouses, industry experts said. A big unknown is whether tariffs will keep stores from replenishing supplies of any breakout hit toys that emerge in September, said James Zahn, editor-in-chief of the trade publication Toy Book. In the retail world, planning for Christmas in July usually involves mapping out seasonal marketing and promotion strategies. Dean Smith, who co-owns independent toy stores JaZams in Princeton, New Jersey, and Lahaska, Pennsylvania, said he recently spent an hour and a half running through pricing scenarios with a Canadian distributor because the wholesale cost of some products increased by 20%. Increasing his own prices that much might turn off customers, Smith said, so he explored ways to "maintain a reasonable margin without raising prices beyond what consumers would accept.' He ordered a lower cost Crazy Forts building set so he would have the toy on hand and left out the kids' edition of the Anomia card game because he didn't think customers would pay what he would have to charge. 'In the end, I had to eliminate half of the products that I normally buy,' Smith said. Hilary Key, owner of The Toy Chest in Nashville, Indiana, said she tries to get new games and toys in early most years to see which ones she should stock up on for the winter holidays. This year, she abandoned her product testing for fear any delayed orders would incur high import taxes. Meanwhile, vendors of toys made in China and elsewhere bombarded Key with price increase notices. For example, Schylling, which makes Needoh, Care Bear collectibles and modern versions of nostalgic toys like My Little Pony, increased prices on orders by 20%, according to Key. All the price hikes are subject to change if the tariff situation changes again. Key worries her store won't have as compelling a product assortment as she prides herself on carrying. 'My concern is not that I'll have nothing, because I can bring in more books. I can bring in more gifts, or I can bring in just things that are manufactured in other places,' she said. 'But that doesn't mean I'm going to have the best stock for every developmental age, for every special need." The retail industry may have to keep taking a whack-a-mole approach to navigating the White House's latest tariff ultimatums and temporary reprieves. Last week, the president again reset the rates on imports from Brazil, the European Union, Mexico, and other major trading partners but said they would not take effect until Aug. 1. The brief pause should extend the window importers have to bring in seasonal merchandise at the current baseline tariff of 10%. The Port of Los Angeles had the busiest June in its 117-year history after companies raced to secure holiday shipments, and July imports look strong so far, according to Gene Seroka, the port's executive director. 'In my view, we're seeing a peak season push right now to bring in goods ahead of potentially higher tariffs later this summer," Seroka said Monday. The pace of port activity so far this year reflects a 'tariff whipsaw effect' — imports slowing when tariffs kick in and rebounding when they're paused, he said. 'For us consumers, lower inventory levels, fewer selections and higher prices are likely as we head into the holidays.' Smith, who co-owns the two JaZams stores with his partner, Joanne Farrugia, said they started placing holiday orders two months earlier than usual for 'certain items that we felt were essential for us to have at particular pricing.' They doubled their warehouse space to store the stockpile. But some shoppers are trying to get ahead of higher prices just like businesses are, he said. He's noticed customers snapping up items that will likely be popular during the holidays, like Jellycat plush toys and large stuffed unicorns and dogs. Any sales are welcome, but Smith and Farrugia are wary of having to restock at a higher cost. 'We're just trying to be as friendly as we can to the consumer and still have a product portfolio or profile that is gonna meet the needs of all of our various customers, which is getting more and more challenging by the day,' Smith said. Balsam Brands' Harman said he's had to resign himself to not having as robust a selection of ornaments and frosted trees to sell as in years' past. Soon, it will be too late to import meaningful additions to his range of products. 'Our purpose as a company is to create joy together, and we're going to do our very best to do that this year," Harman said. 'We're just not going to have a bunch of the items that consumers want this year, and that's not a position we want to be in."
